Press Releases

Press Releases

Feb162017

(Washington, D.C.) Representative Charlie Dent (PA-15), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MILCON-VA), called to order the first hearing of the Subcommittee for the Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations cycle this morning. The “Members’ Day” hearing provided an opportunity to solicit initial feedback and direct engagements with numerous Members regarding their concerns about matters under the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction – such as issues regarding military bases and VA facilities in their home districts.

“Today marks the beginning of our Fiscal Year 2018 hearing process, and this hearing exemplifies my commitment to crafting this legislation in an open, transparent, and bipartisan manner. As Chairman of this subcommittee, I’ve always valued the firsthand input from my colleagues regarding the needs and conditions of our country’s military bases and VA facilities as an extremely useful aspect of the appropriations process. Chairman Frelinghuysen has indicated a real desire to get input from as many Members as we can, and I fully support his approach to the Committee’s work” said Dent.

Rep. Dent added that he looks forward to continuing the comity between both parties on the subcommittee. “I’m proud of the truly bipartisan results I’ve been able to develop through my work on this subcommittee, and I look forward to working with my Ranking Member, Rep. Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), to continue that tradition. Addressing the needs of our veterans and service members is a priority on both sides of the aisle, and such an approach is one of the reasons the Fiscal Year 2017 MILCON-VA bill was the only one to be signed into law so far,” said Dent.

The MILCON-VA Appropriations Subcommittee is responsible for directing the funding necessary to provide healthcare and services to the country’s veterans, to meet the needs of America’s military families – from housing to educational opportunities – and to maintain the nation’s veteran cemeteries and battle monuments.